Eileen Brennan

Born: 1932-09-03

Eileen Brennan (September 3, 1932 – July 28, 2013) was an American actress who was known for her versatile performances in film, television, and theater. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Captain Doreen Lewis in the 1980 comedy film Private Benjamin. She also won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Mrs. Hughes in the television series Newhart. Brennan was born in Los Angeles, California, and began her acting career in the theater. She made her Broadway debut in 1963 in the musical Little Mary Sunshine. She went on to appear in several other Broadway musicals, including Hello, Dolly! and Annie. Brennan made her film debut in the 1967 satire Divorce American Style. She followed this with supporting roles in the films The Last Picture Show (1971), The Cheap Detective (1978), and The First Wives Club (1996). She also starred in the films Clue (1985) and Sister Act (1992). In addition to her film and theater work, Brennan also had a successful television career. She appeared in numerous television shows, including The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Cheers, and Will & Grace. She died on July 28, 2013, at the age of 80, from complications of multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that affects plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection. Brennan was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2001. She underwent treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She continued to work and act throughout her treatment, and she even appeared in the 2011 film The Big Year. In 2013, Brennan's health began to decline. She died on July 28, 2013, at her home in Los Angeles. She was survived by her husband, David John Lampson, and her daughter, Emily.


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Jeepers Creepers

as The Cat Lady
Released: 2001-07-01

On a desolate country highway, two homeward-bound teens are nearly run off the road by a maniac...

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as Mrs. Peacock
Released: 1985-12-13

Clue finds six colorful dinner guests gathered at the mansion of their host, Mr. Boddy -- who...

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Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

as Carol Fields
Released: 2005-03-11

After her triumph at the Miss United States pageant, FBI agent Gracie Hart becomes an overnight...

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White Palace

as Judy
Released: 1990-10-19

Max Baron is a Jewish advertising executive in his 20s who's still getting over the death of his...

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The Last Picture Show

as Genevieve
Released: 1971-10-03

High school seniors and best friends, Sonny and Duane, live in a dying Texas town. The handsome...

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Murder by Death

as Tess Skeffington
Released: 1976-06-23

Lionel Twain invites the world's five greatest detectives to a 'dinner and murder'. Included are...

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The Amateurs

as Mrs. Cherkiss
Released: 2006-04-28

Sex sells in America and these guys know it. The Amateurs follows a small town band of loveable...

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Babes in Toyland

as Mrs. Piper / Widow Hubbard
Released: 1986-12-19

11-year-old Lisa has no time for toys; she's too busy taking care of her siblings and cooking...

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The Sting

as Billie
Released: 1973-12-25

A novice con man teams up with an acknowledged master to avenge the murder of a mutual friend by...

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Scarecrow

as Darlene
Released: 1973-04-11

Two drifters bum around, visit earthy women and discuss opening a car wash in Pittsburgh.

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If These Walls Could Talk

as Tessie
Released: 1996-09-11

A powerful, intimate portrait of three women living in the same house during different eras who...

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as Capt. Doreen Lewis
Released: 1980-10-06

A sheltered young high society woman joins the US Army on a whim and finds herself in a more...

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The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking

as Miss Bannister
Released: 1988-03-01

After her father's ship is carried off by a sudden storm, the spunky Pippi Longstocking is...

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Hustle

as Paula Hollinger
Released: 1975-12-25

The body of teenager Gloria Hollinger is found dead on a Los Angeles beach, and Lt. Phil Gaines...

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Toothless

as Joe #1
Released: 1997-10-05

A female dentist is cast into limbo after her death in an accident and is given the assignment...

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Comic Book Villains

as Mrs. Cresswell
Released: 2002-09-03

When word hits the street that a nearby elderly gentleman has a cache of old, rare, and very...

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The Cheap Detective

as Betty DeBoop
Released: 1978-06-23

A spoof of the entire 1940s detective genre. San Francisco private detective, Lou Pekinpaugh is...

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The Great Smokey Roadblock

as Penelope
Released: 1978-06-21

An old trucker steals his truck for one last cross-country run, with a madam and her crew on board.

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Who Done It: The Clue Documentary

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: 2022-11-03

Clue (1985) has become a cult classic film and is loved by multiple generations. Yet there has...

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Freaky Friday

as Principal Handel
Released: 1995-05-06

Fun-loving Annabelle Andrews and her uptight mother, Ellen, have a hard time getting along with...

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FM

as Mother
Released: 1978-04-20

When a liberal music station's owners decide to introduce army recruitment ads, despite the...

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Stella

as Mrs. Wilkerson
Released: 1990-02-02

Barmaid Stella Claire and blueblood Stephen Dallas have very little in common -- except they've...

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The History of White People in America

as uncredited
Released: 1985-06-04

In this parody of documentaries, host Martin Mull discusses the contributions that white people...

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In Search of Dr. Seuss

as The Who-Villain
Released: 1994-11-06

A nosy reporter wants to find out all she can about Dr. Seuss, aka Ted Geisel, and gets told the...

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At Long Last Love

as Elizabeth
Released: 1975-03-01

Four socialites unexpectedly clash: heiress Brooke Carter runs into gambler Johnny Spanish at...

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Pandemonium

as Candy's Mom
Released: 1982-04-01

A former high school student who always wanted to be a cheerleader decides to reopen the...

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Divorce American Style

as Eunice Tase
Released: 1967-06-21

After 17 years of marriage in American suburbia, Richard and Barbara Harmon step into the new...

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Daisy Miller

as Mrs. Walker
Released: 1974-05-22

Despite mixed emotions, Frederick Winterbourne tries to figure out the bright and bubbly Daisy...

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The Death of Richie

as Carol Werner
Released: 1977-01-10

A sensitive but confused teenager feels pressure from all directions and turns to drugs, which...

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Texasville

as Genevieve Morgan
Released: 1990-09-28

Summer, 1984: 30 years after Duane captained the high school football team and Jacy was...

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Trail of Tears

as Clara
Released: 1995-10-09

Two single mothers, polar opposites in personality, join forces to track down their children...

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The Fourth Wise Man

as Judith
Released: 1985-03-30

Artaban is a young Magus (Wise Man) who desires to follow the star to the birthplace of the...

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Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife

as Sylvia
Released: 1987-01-18

A fashion designer marries a lawyer only to discover that his father is an imfamous mafia don.

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Picture This: The Times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas

as Self
Released: 1991-09-06

A visceral deconstruction of Academy Award nominated Peter Bogdanovich and the nervous breakdown...

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When She Was Bad...

as Mary Jensen
Released: 1979-11-25

Stressed by a recent move and being a stay-at-home mom, Teeny takes out her bottled-up rage on...

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My Old Man

as Marie
Released: 1979-12-07

An unlucky horse trainer, Frank Butler, wins big at the track and buys his 16-year old daughter...

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I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore

as Frieda
Released: 1992-04-24

Bernie Fishbine is overweight. He stops at the neighborhood store to buy some chocolate kisses...

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The Hollow

as Joan Van Etten
Released: 2004-08-25

The presence of Ichabod Crane's descendant in Sleepy Hollow conjures the Headless Horseman to...

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The History of White People in America: Volume II

as uncredited
Released: 1986-01-01

In this daring follow-up to The History of White People in America, comedian Martin Mull takes...

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Precious Victims

as Minnie
Released: 1993-09-27

Paula and Robert Sims are desperate: their 12 days old baby has been kidnapped! Since there's no...

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Changing Habits

as Mother Superior
Released: 1997-05-20

An aspiring artist runs from men as a result of an early life problem that has left her...

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Reckless

as Sister Margaret
Released: 1995-11-17

On Christmas Eve, a relentlessly cheerful woman escapes from the killers hired by her husband,...

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Boys Life 2

as Mrs. Randozza
Released: 1997-03-07

Compilation of four short films, "Must Be the Music", "Nunzio's Second Cousin", "Alkali, Iowa",...

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Going to the Chapel

as Maude
Released: 1988-10-09

As a couple (Valentine and Greene) prepare to get married all sorts of uninvited and unexpected...

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My Father's House

as Mrs. Lindholm Sr.
Released: 1975-06-01

Recovering from a heart attack, a workaholic editor recalls the simple days of his youth....

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Deadly Intentions... Again?

as Charlotte
Released: 1991-02-11

A doctor was sent to prison for the attempted murder of his first wife. When he is released, he...

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Sticky Fingers

as Stella
Released: 1988-05-06

Two dippy roommates, struggling musicians Lolly and Hattie, are asked by a drug-dealing...

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When the Circus Came to Town

as Jessy
Released: 1981-01-20

When the Circus Came to Town chronicles the life of Mary Flynn (Montgomery), a woman nearing...

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Incident at Crestridge

as Sara Davis
Released: 1981-12-29

A woman campaigns for and wins election as sheriff in a crusade against the ineptitude and...

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The Funny Farm

as Gail Corbin
Released: 1983-02-18

The laughs are nonstop as a gang of ambitious young comics strives to make it in the exciting...

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Answers

as Amanda Jackson (Segment "Twinkle, Twinkle")
Released: 1985-01-01

Three of Ernest Thompson's short plays are presented, each involving a surprise visitor. In the...

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Naked Run

as Gram Malone
Released: 2011-05-05

Eve Malone runs against a crooked Congressman...but does it in the nude! Starring Academy Award...

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Nunzio's Second Cousin

as Mrs. Randazzo
Released: 1994-10-01

As Sgt. Randozza, a beefy, gay Chicago cop, leaves a bar with his lover, a gang of high-school...

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Come Die With Me

as uncredited
Released: 1974-05-14

A man kills his older brother when he is refused a loan and then is held in bondage by the...

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Rented Lips

as Hotel Desk Clerk
Released: 1987-10-28

A documentary filmmaker, who has spent the last 15 years making films like "Aluminum: Our Shiny...

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My Name Is Kate

as Barbara Mannix
Released: 1994-01-24

Kate (Donna Mills) is an alcoholic--and, as is often the case, she is in full denial regarding...

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The Blue Knight

as Glenda
Released: 1973-11-11

Bumper Morgan is a veteran Los Angeles Police Department street cop. He is due to retire after...

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Playmates

as Amy
Released: 1972-10-03

Two divorced men meet and become friends, but unbeknownst to each other, start dating each...

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The Art of 'The Sting'

as Self
Released: 2005-09-06

An inside look into how a great original screenplay was turned into a classic film that still...

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The Last Great Ride

as Pamela 'Mimi' Applegate
Released: 1999-01-01

A kid, his new friend who's a girl, his grandmother and their old neighbor who used to work as a...

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Dumb Luck

as Minnie Hitchcock
Released: 2003-06-04

A man accidentally gets mixed up in a conspiracy on some important numbers.

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The Night That Panicked America

as Ann Muldoon
Released: 1975-10-31

A dramatization of the Oct. 30, 1938 mass panic that Orson Welles' radio play, "The War of the...

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The Fartiste

as uncredited
Released: 1987-01-01

A fake documentary about the rise and fall of the (real life) “flatulist” performer Le Pétomane,...

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The Lies Boys Tell

as Sada
Released: 1994-12-18

Ed Reece, an old travelling salesman, decides to end his days in the place in which he was born....

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Nourish the Beast

as Baba Goya
Released: 1974-06-05

Baba Goya is a loudmouth mother who goes through husbands and orphans like the Turkish coffee...

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Knuckle

as Delafield's Mistress
Released: 1975-06-04

Curley Delafield, a young arms merchant, is determined to discover the secret behind the...

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Lily for President?

as Maggie
Released: 1982-05-20

Comedian Lily Tomlin stars in this comical farce which deals with her experiences running for...

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Pants on Fire

as Mom
Released: 1998-04-18

Two teachers - Julie and Barry are having an affair. When Barry confesses about his lover to his...

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Recycle Rex

as Rose (voice)
Released: 1993-03-12

A group of '90s-looking anthropomorphic dinosaur kids must come up with a way to get rid of...

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The Star Wagon

as Hallie
Released: 1966-10-20

The Star Wagon is a play in black and white starring Dustin Hoffman.

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Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story

as Vicky Martin
Released: 1992-03-15

True story about a rape victim who took a stand that rape is never the victim's fault and...

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Working

as Millworker
Released: 1982-04-13

This musical adaptation of the Studs Terkel book examines the average worker's...

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Kraft Salutes Walt Disney World's 10th Anniversary

as Aunt Angelique Lane
Released: 1982-01-21

The Lane family from Evansville Indiana is about to embark on its annual vacation, let's join...

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Magnum, P.I.

as uncredited
First aired: 1980-12-11

A private investigator who works when he wants, lives in a beachfront estate in Hawaii, drives a...

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ER

as Betty
First aired: 1994-09-19

ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by...

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Murder, She Wrote

as Loretta Lee
First aired: 1984-09-30

An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life...

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Murder, She Wrote

as Marian Simpson
First aired: 1984-09-30

An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life...

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Will & Grace

as Zandra
First aired: 1998-09-21

Will Truman and Grace Adler are best friends living in New York, and when Grace's engagement...

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Home Improvement

as Wanda
First aired: 1991-09-17

The daily trials and tribulations of handyman Tim Taylor, a TV show host raising three boys with...

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Walker, Texas Ranger

as Joelle
First aired: 1993-04-21

Modern-day Texas Ranger, Cordell Walker's independent crime-solving methods have their roots in...

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Touched by an Angel

as Dolores Freeman
First aired: 1994-09-21

Monica, an angel, is tasked with bringing guidance and messages from God to various people who...

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The Merv Griffin Show

as Self
First aired: 1962-10-01

The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran...

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Mad About You

as Inspector #10
First aired: 1992-09-23

Young, urban newlyweds Paul and Jamie Buchman try to sustain their marital bliss while...

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Taxi

as Mrs. McKenzie
First aired: 1978-09-12

Louie De Palma is a cantankerous, acerbic taxi dispatcher in New York City. He tries to maintain...

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Newhart

as uncredited
First aired: 1982-10-02

Dick Loudon and his wife Joanna decide to leave life in New York City and buy a little inn in...

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Strong Medicine

as Evelyn Knightly
First aired: 2000-07-23

The lives of staff in the womens' health clinic of a fictitious hospital in Philadelphia.

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Tales from the Crypt

as Ruth Sanderson
First aired: 1989-06-10

Cadaverous scream legend the Crypt Keeper is your macabre host for these forays of fright and...

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Barnaby Jones

as Anita Willson
First aired: 1973-01-28

Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as...

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Lizzie McGuire

as Marge
First aired: 2001-01-12

Lizzie McGuire is all about the ordinary and not-so-ordinary adventures of a junior high student...

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All in the Family

as Angelique McCarthy
First aired: 1971-01-12

Archie Bunker, a working class bigot, constantly squabbles with his family over the important...

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7th Heaven

as Mrs. Bink
First aired: 1996-08-26

Reverend Eric Camden and his wife Annie have always had their hands full caring for seven...

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Kojak

as Julie Loring
First aired: 1973-10-24

A bald, lollipop sucking police detective with a fiery righteous attitude battles crime in New...

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Golden Globe Awards

as Self - Presenter
First aired: 1944-01-20

An annual awards ceremony recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and...

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Golden Globe Awards

as Self - Winner
First aired: 1944-01-20

An annual awards ceremony recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and...

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McMillan and Wife

as Nora Dane
First aired: 1971-09-29

McMillan & Wife is a lighthearted American police procedural that aired on NBC from September...

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thirtysomething

as uncredited
First aired: 1987-09-29

Thirtysomething is an American television drama about a group of baby boomers in their late...

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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

as Self
First aired: 1967-09-09

An American sketch comedy television program hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin.

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The Ray Bradbury Theater

as Mrs. Annabelle Shrike
First aired: 1985-05-21

A Canadian-produced fantastic anthology series scripted by famed science-fiction author Ray...

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The Wonderful World of Disney

as Joe #1
First aired: 1997-09-28

Walt Disney Productions (later The Walt Disney Company) has produced an anthology television...

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Dinah!

as Self
First aired: 1974-10-21

Dinah's show premiered 9 September 1974 and continued through to 4 September 1981. She started...

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Veronica's Closet

as Grammy Anderson
First aired: 1997-09-25

Veronica 'Ronnie' Chase is the 'Queen of Romance.' Founder of a successful lingerie empire, and...

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The Fearing Mind

as Irene's mother
First aired: 2000-10-21

Bill Fearing, a famous writer of suspense thrillers, gets his ideas from things that happen in...

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Jack's Place

as uncredited
First aired: 1992-05-26

Jack Evans is a retired jazz musician who runs a restaurant where romances tend to start.

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Black Beauty

as Annie Gray
First aired: 1978-01-31

Born free in the American West, Black Beauty is a horse rounded up and brought to Birtwick...

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American Dreamer

as uncredited
First aired: 1990-09-20

American Dreamer is a situation comedy which aired in the U.S. on NBC as part of its 1990-91...

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Gravedale High

as uncredited
First aired: 1990-09-08

Gravedale High is an animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera for NBC Productions. The series...

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Doctors' Hospital

as uncredited
First aired: 1975-09-10

Doctors' Hospital is an American medical drama that ran on NBC during the 1975–1976 season.

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Private Benjamin

as Doreen Lewis
First aired: 1981-04-06

Private Benjamin is an American sitcom based on the movie of the same name. The show aired on...

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Off the Rack

as Kate Halloran
First aired: 1985-03-15

Off The Rack is an American comedy television series set in the Los Angeles garment industry...

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13 Queens Blvd.

as Felicia Winters
First aired: 1979-03-20

13 Queens Boulevard is an American sitcom that aired from March 20 until July 24, 1979.

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